Attacking Intent Quotes

I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing.

It's not so easy for us when we play teams who have a different mindset, like Chelsea or Inter Milan, because they have the intention of trying to stop us rather than playing a game that is more attractive for the spectators to enjoy.

Charlton are a team who play well on the ball, but they found it hard to break us down, they didn't really have an out and out chance in front of our goal.

When you play in the Premier League, say you're playing against a lower-end team, they set up to defend all the time, they set up to block you off. But when you play in the Champions League, all the other teams are used to winning every week, so it's more of an open game, it's more attacking, end-to-end.

I just want to be able to be an attacking influence and have that effect further up the pitch; whether that's from an attacking midfield position or one of the wider positions coming in, I'm not too fussed.

I think a lot of managers say that it starts from the front and us as defenders know it helps our job when the front two strikers put that pressure on. If they can do that it makes our job a lot easier.

Kante senses dangers and knows where the ball is going to be. He has that in his DNA. Paul Pogba has more in his DNA to be up there, create.

I think if Tottenham are going to be top four side, the fans and the club will need to get away from the philosophy of 'pretty football', that's got to go.

I prefer getting a lot of the ball.

I consider myself as this kind of attacking midfielder, trying to find the gaps between the opposition midfielders and defenders and produce what the team needs between the lines.

I'd like to think I'm an attacking creative midfielder who can assist with goals.

I am a player who likes to play in between the lines and try to break that midfield line, whether it's when I receive a pass or can go and show everyone what I am about.

Each coach you have gives a little something to every player, but the one who changed my game the most was Mancini. He taught me to play more outside the area, dropping me back a bit.

When the opposition sits back and defends well and together, it's difficult.

I love to see goals and attacking play; I want us to be entertaining. But it's no good if you're shipping goals.

I've never seen a Barca without control of the game. I've never seen a Barca that doesn't have the ball and lets the opposition attack all the time.

Good decisions are not necessarily playing it short every time you get the ball. The best teams can play longer or have a threat behind or play through or around. They adapt.

If you insist on playing Jorginho, who is neat and tidy but not a goal threat, you have to have goal threats on either side of him.

Obviously, culturally, England's style of play is a lot more direct and physical. In Spain, they're a lot more patient, and they have the ball a lot more.

You see it more and more: managers asking their keepers to be the 11th field player.